


I'll Always Be Here To Save You

by unusuallyeddie



Category: Supernatural
Genre: "we need you", Gabriel Deserves Better, M/M, Protective Sam Winchester, Very little Destiel, brief mentions of torture and death, its cute i promise, look guys i finally wrote over 1000 words are you proud of me, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 07:30:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16259531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unusuallyeddie/pseuds/unusuallyeddie
Summary: Something doesn't add up about Asmodeus' abilities...is it possible they don't belong to him?





	I'll Always Be Here To Save You

“Think about it!” Sam insisted, pacing absently around the bunker library as Dean watched him. “Asmodeus is way more powerful than any other demon we’ve ever come across. There’s no way he could possibly have that power unless it’s from another source!”

“So, what, you think some being is letting the freak drain them?” Dean raised an eyebrow.

Sam shook his head. “Or he’s forcibly taking it. Think, what could possibly be able to do all the things he’s doing? Shape-shifting, mental manipulation, teleportation…” His eyes widened. “Oh my god.”   


Dean’s eyes widened as he realized what Sam was thinking. “No, there’s no way.”   


The two stared at each other for a moment longer, before scrambling to grab their weapons. If Sam was right…

Shit was about to go down.

~   


It was fairly easy, all things considered, to summon and trap Asmodeus. 

It was considerably less easy to get an answer out of him.

“Why, boys, this power is entirely my own.” The demon drawled.

“Bullshit.” Dean snarled, and Sam held up a hand to calm his brother down.

“Your powers are similar, to say in the least, to another being we’ve come across.” Sam stated, dangerously calm. “We were just wondering how the hell  _ you _ got them.”   


Asmodeus smirked, leaning as close to Sam as the devils trap would allow. “And you’ll never find out.”   


Sam shrugged, turning to Dean. “I guess he’s not gonna talk, Dean.”    


“What a shame.” Dean said sarcastically, fingering the flask of holy oil in his pocket.

Sam turned back to Asmodeus. “You wanna be an archangel? You can die like one too. Light ‘em up, Dean.”   


Well, lets just say the following events were a bitch to clean up.

~   


“Call Cas.” Sam said suddenly over dinner that night, having been brainstorming how to get into Hell all day.”   


Dean looked at him, stunned. “How did we not think of that already…” Dean muttered, before closing his eyes. “Castiel, who art in Heaven, get thy feathery ass down here, blah blah blah, amen.”

“Why did you not just call with your phone?” Castiel's voice came from behind Sam, who whipped around and grinned.   


“It was in my room.” Dean shrugged.

“Cas, we need a favor. Like, a big one.” Sam started, but was cut off by the angel.   


“You two are my family. There isn't much I wouldn't do for you.”   


Sam smirked at a now slightly-flushed Dean, before continuing to speak. “We think Asmodeus may have been holding your brother captive in Hell. We need your help to get him out.”   


Castiel's eyes widened. “Which brother?”   


Sam grimaced.

~   


The trio walked through the pits of Hell, both Sam and Dean looking around nervously while Castiel practically strutted, knowing he could take anyone in there. It was probably a very strange sight to see, but weren’t the Winchesters always that way?   


“I found him.” Castiel said, voice low, as he peered around a corner.

Sam looked, and his breath caught in his throat. Guarded by no less than three demons, Gabriel was sitting in a cage, covered in his own blood and sweat, hair matted and mouth sewn shut. Sam felt bile rise in the back of his throat, but pushed it down.

“Castiel, can you take out the guards?”   


Castiel gave him a look, as if to say ‘obviously’, before sliding his angel blade from his sleeve and attacking.

Sam turned to his brother. “Dean, you go help Cas. I’ll get Gabriel.”

“Since when are you in charge?” Dean muttered, but did as he was told regardless, grabbing the demon knife and jumping into the fray.

Sam slid in behind all the fighting, grabbing the probably enchanted key form one of the guards belts easily, and sliding it into the lock. Gabriel jerked at the sound of the door opening, but otherwise had no response. Sam frowned. “Gabriel?”   


Not even a blink.

“This is gonna be harder than I thought…” Sam muttered to himself, walking over to the archangel, ignoring the pain in his chest as Gabriel flinched and pushed himself further and further into the corner. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” Sam cooed. “It’s me, it’s Sam Winchester, I’m here to help.”   


Gabriel gave no sign of hearing a word Sam was saying, but he sure as hell came alive when Sam started the lift him. He started thrashing and trying to scream, the sounds horribly muffled by the stitches. Sam tried his best to ignore it, instead focusing on how scarily light the other was as he carried him from the cage, coming face to face with a horrified Castiel and Dean, who were standing over the guards bodies.

“What did he do to him?” Cas said, the words coming out in more of a growl. Dean placed a hand on his shoulder, and Cas seemed to calm down the slightest bit, now just staring, heartbroken, at his once strong older brother.

“Cmon.” Sam said. “Lets get him back to the bunker.”   


~   


Gabriel struggled up until Sam placed him on a bed, where he slipped back into his silent, near-comatose state.

“Cas…what do we do?” Sam whispered.

Castiel shrugged, clearly torn. “I can ask the other angels, but there is no record of this happening, especially not to an archangel. This will be difficult.”

Sam nodded, and Castiel left silently, leaving the hunter alone with the archangel.

Gabriel eyes him warily as Sam approached and kneeled beside his bed. “I don't know if you can hear me.” Sam said softly. “Castiel said you've trapped yourself inside your own head. But if you can, Gabriel, please. We need you. We can't help you if we don't know how.”   


When he got no reaction, Sam sighed, standing slowly as to not startle the other being. He left the room, leaving Gabriel silently staring at the wall once more.

~   


The next day, Sam tried to remove Gabriels stitches.

It went surprisingly well, with Gabriel cooperating and not jerking away as Sam held the small knife to his face. He only winced a little as Sam broke the stitches, sliding them out from his skin. He looked sad almost as Sam backed away, but Sam decided we was absolutely not going to read into that.

“Do you think he needs food?” Dean said dubiously from where he stood in the doorway. “I can make something.”   


Sam smiled. Deans protective instincts were probably going crazy right now, even if he didn't particularly like Gabriel. “Yeah, that might help.”   


Dean left, leaving Gabriel and Sam alone once more.

“Hey, Gabe.” Sam said softly. “Looks like you trust me a bit more now, huh? Maybe it was the fact that I got you out of there. I don’t know.” He sighed. “I want to help you, Gabriel. I do. But I don’t know what I’m doing, so if you could just give me a sign…” Nothing. “Yeah, I figured as much.”    


Sam stood and left the archangel alone, until later when he brought him his food.

Castiel was sitting with Gabriel, seemingly recounting old memories of them in Heaven. Sam stopped to eavesdrop.

“And there was the time you threw me off a cloud to teach me to fly when I was just a fledgling…” Castiel was smiling wistfully. “Michael was so angry at you, but you held your belief that you were helping. I was so terrified of falling I refused to release Michael for days. You thought it was adorable, Michael didn’t seem to share the sentiment.”   


Sam stifled a laugh, imaging baby Cas clinging helplessly to an angry Michael, while a much younger Gabriel cackled in the background. He knocked, startling Cas slightly. “I brought food.” He said, holding up the plate.

“I see.” Castiel nodded. “That might help, Gabriel always did enjoy the taste of food.” He made a face. “I don't understand why.”   


Sam chuckled, before turning serious, patting Castiel's shoulder. “We’ll get him back, Cas.”   


Castiel half-smiled at him. “I have no doubts, Sam.”   


~   


There were occasional small cracks in Gabriel's shell.

He would smile at Sam, every now and then. He would occasionally point to a book, or the TV if he wanted it on. He would make little noises when he was happy.

But not once did Gabriel talk.

Until, that is, they were all watching Harry Potter one night, they being the Winchesters and Castiel. None of them notice Gabriel had even shuffled into the the room until Snape came on screen and Gabriel very loudly proclaimed. “Holy  _ fuck  _ I hate that guy.”   


All three whipped around immediately, staring at Gabriel in stunned silence.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “What?”   


“You’re...acting normal.” Sam said slowly.

“No duh.” Gabriel scoffed. “You think I was gonna be a vegetable forever or something?”

Sam stood, walking over to where Gabriel was standing, ignoring how Dean and Castiel were watching in a state of total confusion. “You’re ok.” He said, more to himself than to the archangel.

“Yup.” Gabriel popped the ‘p’ obnoxiously, so Sam did the only reasonable thing in response to Gabriel being back.

He grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and kissed him.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the best prompter on Tumblr, emeryshhay, who gifts me with so many prompts, god bless them.


End file.
